I think that the song "All This Time" was an eMusic Daily Download once, and it was one of those songs that had me hooked from the first couple of lines. I couldn't stop listening to it. It reminded me of all the good parts of female classic/psychedelic rock vocalists - a little Janis, and little Nico, a little Grace Slick. Not really in line with most of what I've been listening to these days, but intoxicating nonetheless.
So, based on that song only, I automatically got excited when I heard they were playing down the street at Martyrs'. I like that place. It's smallish - I never feel too crowded, and.... there's a pinball machine! That's where you can find me if the opening band sucks. Especially if I'm there alone. But neither if the two were true last Saturday. I was there with a couple of friends, and the opener was one of those flannel clad bands of young men from Brooklyn, The Subjects.
It was pretty late when little Erika Wennerstrom and her band took the stage - and the crowd was pretty liquored up. It was an interesting crowd too - a little like I might find in one of my hometown Galena bars... varying ages all sort of drinking and grooving in their own way. Wennerstrom definitely drives the band. We couldn't see her guitar playing from where we were, but her voice is huge. They played a lot of songs from the last two albums, "Stairs and Elevators" and "All this Time" as well as some from the new album "The Mountain," which, recorded with a new band,took a little bit of a jam-band turn (in the cover art as well) which I'm not sure if I like as much.
So many "indie" female vocalists these days are sort of annoying me with their soft pretty little voices. So it was nice to hear someone really belt it out - and all the more amazing since Wennerstrom is such a petite woman. I do worry that her days might be numbered though - I see vocal polyps in her future. There wasn't enough banter - I would have liked a little more chatter, especially in such a small space. And they never played "All this Time." All in all - I don't know that I would go out of my way to see them again, but it was definitely a good show, good music, and a good place to be a little warm whiskey haze in this coldest of winters.
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I saw HB's a while back, actually I think they opened for the Hold Steady. I found them mildly interesting... mainly because I was with some friends and some guy I don't know (let's call him BuzzKill), insisted on telling me how great the HB's are and how much the Hold Steady sucked. I also ran into BuzzKill at a Ryan Adams show and he and his buddy said I was gay because I bought a Ryan Adams t-shirt with a rose on it and because I happen to like the Cure. Heartless Bastard!
loving this band lately, actually. I love The Mountain, actually. I think it's just a great bar room blues album that's slow enough to let all the players just sit back and wail. I think it's recorded really well, as well.
ALSO, saw them play last night. They were an opener and only played for 20 mins...but it was great
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